For the eardrums

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The gooey, golden stuff that builds up inside your ears should stay there, according to national guidelines on earwax removal released today.

"[Earwax] is not intrinsically evil stuff, and consequently does not have to be removed merely because it’s present," said Peter Roland, an ear, nose and throat doctor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "In fact, it serves a function and so if you don’t need to take it out, you should just leave it alone."

Roland chaired a panel of doctors in charge of the new guidelines for earwax removal issued by the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF). The guidelines are intended to serve two purposes: to determine under what circumstances earwax needs to be removed, and to give doctors the scoop on which removal methods work best.
They hope the guidelines won’t fall on deaf ears: About 12 million people a year in the United States seek medical care for impacted or excessive earwax. Impaction, they say, can cause pain, pressure, itching, foul odor, ringing of the ears, ear discharge and, in extreme cases, hearing loss.

Good-for-you goo So there’s a reason for the goo. Earwax is a self-cleaning agent, with protective, lubricating and antibacterial properties, doctors say.
That’s why tiny glands in the outer ear canal constantly pump out a watery substance, which gets mixed with bits of dead hair and skin and together is called earwax or cerumen. Excess earwax normally treks slowly out of the ear canal, with an extra boost from chewing and other jaw movements, carrying with it dirt, dust and other small particles from the ear canal. Then, dried-up clumps of the stuff fall out of the ear opening.
When this natural earwax train malfunctions, or when individuals poke around in their ears with cottons swabs or other foreign objects such as bobby pins or matchsticks, earwax can build up and block part of the ear canal.
"Then there are lots of people wearing earplugs for one reason or another, either because they’ve got hearing aids or they’re transcriptionists at work or because they’re addicted to their walkman," Roland told LiveScience, "and that can increase the likelihood that the wax doesn’t come out on its own."
Older adults are more prone to earwax buildup then younger individuals.
"The wax gets much thicker and drier, and plus you actually end up with more hair in your ear, when you’re older, and so it traps it," Roland said.
He added, "Unfortunately, many people feel the need to manually ‘remove’ cerumen from the ears. This can result in further impaction and other complications to the ear canal." He said the saying, "Don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear," holds true.

Leave your ears alone For the everyday individual, the new guidelines suggest you leave your ears alone unless you experience symptoms that you think are associated with too much wax.
"If they’re going to do something at home, they should probably use drops of some sort," Roland said. The panel found no evidence that one type of over-the-counter drops works better than another, or better than just plain sterile water or sterile saline, he said.
The drops help to loosen the earwax and then the ear often can do the rest, he added. The guidelines also state that cotton-tipped swabs or other objects should not be used to remove earwax. Oral jet irrigators and the alternative medicine technique called ear candling are also strongly advised against.

Ear candling involves making a hollow tube from fabric and soaking that in warm beeswax, which is cooled and hardens. Once cooled and hardened, the beeswax cone is stuck into the ear. The outer end of the tube is lit and burns for about 15 minutes, a process that supposedly draws the wax out of the ear.
Studies have shown, however, that the drawn-out stuff is material from the candle itself. Doctors have also reported seeing patients who have burned the outer parts of their ears with this method.
If the drops don’t relieve your symptoms, or if you dislike drops but still have symptoms, it’s time to see a doctor, Roland said.
The panel found that three common techniques for earwax removal at the doctor’s office work best, with no single method outshining the others. These include flushing the ear out with a water solution; manually removing the earwax under a microscope using medical instruments; and sending the patient home with ear drops.
While at the doctor’s office, Roland urges patients not to be embarrassed by a little earwax.
"I get a lot of people in here who are horrified when I see a little wax in their ear, and then they start apologizing for being dirty and they’re just very upset it’s present at all," Roland said. "And I think the big message there is that it has a physiological function, and unless there’s a reason to remove it, you should just leave it alone. It’s OK."
Obtained from: http://www.livescience.com/health/080829-earwax-removal.html

Ear wax varies from a blackish or dark brown substance to yellow and runny, particularly when somebody has been swimming. the majority attend nice lengths to get rid of it, sometimes by swabbing the ear canals with Q-tips. info concerning ear wax, or cerumen, comes in handy, particularly as we have a tendency to approach summertime water activities.
First, allow us to discuss traditional ear canal anatomy and performance.

The external, visible a part of the ear is termed the pinna, the gap to the ear is that the auditory meatus, and then comes the canal and ear drum, or tympanic membrane.
Normally, external substances like water, soil or foreign bodies could enter the auditory canal, however, they are doing not usually puncture and pass the ear drum. Often, water has problem fully draining from the ear, and if retained, eventually will begin to grow bacteria or fungus.
The skin of the ear canal is extremely skinny and overlies bone. Therefore, the auditory canal is extremely sensitive.
When the skin of the auditory canal gets infected from retention of spoiled water, the pain will be agonizing. A greenish pus begins to develop, and also the ear canal usually swells closed, any preventing drainage. Technically this diagnosis is spoken as otitis (inflammation of the ear) externa (external to the ear drum). surprisingly enough, ear wax prevents infection. Who would have thought this?
As it seems, cerumen is kind of acidic. This creates an atmosphere within the ear canal hostile to the expansion of bacteria, particularly the foremost common culprit, Pseudomo-nas aeruginosa.
When one has been swimming for a lengthy time, the laundry of wax from the canal ends up in loss of acid. If the water doesn't dry out, eventually it becomes a bacterial broth and illness results.
Antibiotics, by ear drops or mouth, are needed. sometimes, suctioning of the canal to clear debris and pus is additionally required to hasten healing.
A major learning purpose is that ear wax could be a sensible issue as long because it isn't pushed deep into the canal, that affects hearing. don't be therefore hasty to totally take away it from the ear canal. The insertion of Q-tips into the canal usually packs the wax additional deeply into the ear and helps solidify it with cotton fibers, creating it tough to get rid of.
Most all drug stores carry ear wax kits, that embrace drugs to melt wax, and a rubber bulb suction device to softly wash the wax from the canal.
When pain, fever or problem managing ear conditions together with impacted wax occur, a visit to your doctor is definitely required, each to alleviate this condition, and to create certain there's nothing additional serious occurring.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Eardrum Injuries

Oftentimes, the injuries sustained from an explosion can go well beyond the expected burns and cuts from debris. In particular, an explosion can tear a hole into a person's eardrum. The resulting injury works similarly to a real drum being torn into. While the person may not go entirely deaf in that ear, the effectiveness of hearing can slope off considerably. This condition, which can cause considerable discomfort, may require intervention in some circumstances.

There are several causes for a perforated eardrum, including the sonic waves of an explosion. The sound wave of the explosion carries a massive amount of energy, which is picked up by the eardrum. However, instead of processing the sound regularly, the force of the wave blasting against the eardrum rips a hole into the membrane. This can also occur physically, as through poking or stabbing at the eardrum.

Many times, a hole in the eardrum will heal over time. In some cases, doctors may use a procedure in which paper is placed over the ear to reduce the stress the eardrum undergoes. Although a very simple solution, this paper can help the healing process, shortening the course of weeks recovery might otherwise take.

A surgical option is available for those who require it. As with many complications, a perforation should heal up on its own over time, but either extremely severe injuries or unusual situations may warrant surgical intervention. Known as tympanoplasty, the eardrum can be repaired through a reconstructive surgery involving the sensitive membranes of the ear.

A major concern linked with the healing process, which can take many weeks, is the introduction of an infection through the ear. Those suffering from a perforated eardrum injury can develop an infection, which may make their hearing loss permanent if not promptly handled.

To learn more about an explosion victim's legal options in terms of compensation, contact a personal injury lawyer.

If you have been injured during an explosion, there may be legal action available for you. To learn more, contact theRacine personal injurylawyers of Habush, Habush & Rottier, S.C., today.

We’ve just passed April 17, this year’s “Tax Day.” As a pediatrician, I view this day as a clinical milestone, a right of passage: It signals the end of the typical winter illness season!

Although this past winter was unbelievably mild in the Midwest, we still had our share of common childhood illnesses, including the curse of recurrent ear infections. As one of the more frequent surgeries for children, ear tube surgery is a commonly used tool to minimize the impact of recurrent ear infections. Here are some FAQs worth addressing:

What is the purpose of ear tube surgery?

Ear infections involve infected fluid building up in the “cave” behind the eardrum we call the middle ear space. Two situations lead to most surgeries for tubes. First is for the child who has recurrent ear infections with little break between them and insufficient help from antibiotics and time. The second is for the child with persistent fluid in this middle ear space. It dampens hearing during a critical time of speech development. As you’d imagine, stagnant fluid behind the eardrum can become infected just like a stagnant farm pond will quickly grow moss. This sometimes occurs because the tube in our ear called the Eustachian tube doesn’t drain away the fluid properly. The tubes take away the stagnant fluid in the middle ear and reduce the risk of infection and normalize hearing.

When should I consider tubes an appropriate option?

Most experts suggest considering tubes if a young child has recurrent infections or persistent fluid behind the eardrum (especially if hearing is dampened as it often is) after three to six months of ongoing struggle. Many variables can modify this guideline. I’m slower to recommend tubes in the spring since many children have improvement over the summer. If a child can’t clear fluid in July or August, I’d be quicker to recommend tubes since winter illnesses are likely to aggravate the problem. Also, the greater the pain and irritability a toddler has with ear infections, the sooner I’d consider tubes. A child’s speech progression or struggle may also impact my decision. If a family can modify risk factors such as cigarette smoke exposure or daycare attendance, I might delay tube placement and see if the modifications help. Except for treating active infection, no medications have proven to rid the middle ear space of fluid.

Is the procedure typically helpful and safe?

Tube placement is one of the most common procedures performed in the U.S. and has a track record of great safety. The benefit of having tubes far outweighs the possible complications for the appropriate candidates. Complications can include infections despite the tubes, scarring of the eardrum, or a persistent hole in the eardrum that doesn’t seal over naturally. These complications are almost always reversible.